Chapter 70

Dawn brought an urgent summons from Raymond: "Council emergency meeting. Attendance mandatory."

I dressed quickly, the sudden emergency after last night's ceremony triggering all my suspicions. Whatever Giana had planned was accelerating.

"We intercepted messages between your father and unknown contacts," Kane reported through the communication device as I hurried through the corridors. "Something's happening today."

"Can you identify who he's communicating with?" I asked, pausing in an alcove.

"Not yet. The encryption is sophisticated—military grade. Not something a typical Beta would have access to."

That detail alone was concerning. My father had resources beyond what his position should provide.

The council chamber was tense when I arrived, Raymond and Giana already seated at the head of the table. Several council members looked uncomfortable, shifting in their seats.

Raymond launched into his announcement without preamble. "Alpha Marcus has fallen into a coma," he declared, his voice grave though his eyes remained calculating. "His prognosis is grave."

The timing was precisely as Kane had predicted. I glanced around the table, gauging reactions. Most council members appeared shocked, though a few—including my father—showed no surprise whatsoever.

"When did this happen?" Elder Morris asked, his voice sharp with suspicion.

"Early this morning," Raymond replied. "We received word from Silver Lake's healers an hour ago."

"Additionally," he continued, "rogue activity at our borders requires immediate response."

He unrolled a map across the council table, pointing to marked positions along our eastern boundary. "Multiple incursions have been detected. Our border patrols have been doubled, but this level of coordination is unprecedented."

He revealed plans to depart immediately for the Alpha Council, leaving Giana "to manage the situation" in his absence. The strategy was clear—with Raymond away and Marcus incapacitated, Giana would have unprecedented control.

"As Luna, shouldn't I remain to oversee pack defense?" I questioned. "That is the traditional role during the Alpha's absence."

Raymond dismissed my concern with a gesture. "Your recent injuries make you unsuitable for crisis management."

I noticed several council members exchanging concerned glances at this clear violation of tradition. My father spoke up: "I support the Alpha's decision. Delta Giana has proven herself capable."

Elder Morris countered immediately: "Pack law is specific. In the Alpha's absence, Luna authority is absolute in domestic matters."

"Luna authority assumes the Luna is capable," my father argued, his voice carrying an edge directed at me. "Aurora has been absent for weeks."

"Injuries that have healed," I stated firmly. "My capacity is not in question."

The council divided visibly—traditionalists supporting proper hierarchy versus Giana's supporters.

"My decision is final," Raymond declared, rising from his chair. "Council dismissed."

As members dispersed, Elder Morris subtly indicated I should follow him. In a private alcove, he revealed: "Giana has been meeting with rogues. I have proof."

He passed me a small memory drive. "Security footage from the eastern border. She's coordinating with them."

I stared at the drive. "The territorial reassignments, the boundary changes, the rogue attacks..."

"All connected," Morris confirmed. "But to what end, I'm still uncertain."

Our conversation was interrupted by a young warrior bringing urgent news: "Luna, there's been an incident at the southern clinic."

I rushed to the medical facility to find my mother's regular healer unconscious, blood seeping from a wound on her temple. The treatment room had been ransacked.

"Someone attacked her while preparing to send your mother’s medical records to her new healers," a nurse explained. "They stole specific herbal compounds—wolfsbane derivatives primarily."

Cold fear gripped me—another attempt to control me through my mother, as well as collecting poisoning agents.

"Your mother is safe," Kane's voice reassured me. "No one has learned of the secure location she was moved to."

Relief flooded through me. At least that vulnerability had been addressed.

Back in my quarters, I reviewed the evidence from Elder Morris. The footage clearly showed Giana meeting with the same hooded figure Kane had identified as Darian, the Rogue King's lieutenant.

"This is the proof we need," I told Kane. "This connects her directly to the rogues."

"They're accelerating their timeline," Kane responded grimly. "Marcus's condition, Raymond's departure, the attack on your mother's healer..."

"They're eliminating obstacles and isolating me," I realized. "But why now? What’s changed?"

"You have," Kane pointed out. "You returned stronger, with allies, and most importantly—no longer under Raymond's influence through the mate bond."

Luna Elena arrived unexpectedly that afternoon, her usually perfect appearance showing signs of strain. "Marcus is stabilized for now," she told me after we embraced. "But I fear the damage is irreversible."

Together, we reviewed the evidence I'd gathered: Giana's poisoning of Marcus, the territorial adjustments weakening our defenses, the coordination with rogues.

"She's planning a coup," Elena concluded. "Using Raymond's absence and pack division to seize control."

"But to what end?" I wondered. "She already has Raymond under her influence."

Elena's expression darkened. "I believe she serves someone else. Raymond is merely a stepping stone."

Kane's voice came urgently through the device: "Multiple security breaches detected. Eastern border completely compromised."

Elena and I rushed to the command center, finding chaos as reports of rogue incursions flooded in. Warriors scrambled to respond, their movements disorganized as contradictory orders created confusion.

Giana was already there, calmly issuing orders that sent defenders to the wrong locations, directing our strongest warriors to the southern border while attacks came from the east.

"As Luna, I am taking command of our defense," I declared, stepping forward with authority.

Giana's sweet facade dropped completely. "You have no authority here anymore."

"Pack law says otherwise," I countered. Several warriors immediately turned to me for instructions, responding to the natural authority in my voice.

The power struggle became explicit as warriors were forced to choose which leader to follow. Giana made a critical mistake, revealing too much in her frustration: "The eastern territories were always vulnerable. The boundary adjustments just made it official."

This slip confirmed her deliberate weakening of pack defenses, causing several of her supporters to hesitate.

"Luna Elena," I called, seizing the opportunity, "please share what you discovered about Delta Giana's meetings with the Rogue King's lieutenant."

Elena presented the evidence calmly but devastatingly: security footage, poisoning evidence, border tampering. The command center fell silent as the extent of the betrayal became clear.

Giana's mask crumbled completely. "You understand nothing of what's coming."

Before anyone could respond, an explosion rocked the command center. The blast shattered windows and sent warriors diving for cover. In the chaos, Giana escaped with several loyal supporters, including my father.

I took decisive command: "Secure the perimeter! Protect the vulnerable! Medical teams to the east gate!"

Warriors who had been hesitant now looked to me for guidance, my competence earning their respect as I coordinated the defense with calm efficiency.

"Rogues have breached the northeast quadrant," Kane reported. "I'm coming in with reinforcements."

As I organized defense teams, Elena pulled me aside with grave news: "Marcus is convulsing. The healers say he's been given a fatal dose of poison."

The decision I made next was painful but necessary: "We need Raymond back immediately. Whatever Giana has planned is happening now."

As night fell, I stood on the command center balcony, watching fires burning at the borders of our territory. Kane joined me, having arrived with his security team to reinforce pack defenses.

"Giana was just the visible piece," I said quietly. "There's someone else behind all this."

Kane nodded grimly. "The Rogue King has been gathering forces for months. This attack is too coordinated, too strategic."

"Why our pack?" I wondered. "What makes Blood Moon special?"

"Your location," Kane explained. "Blood Moon territory controls critical access points between the eastern and western packs. If that neutrality were compromised..."

"It would destabilize the entire regional power balance," I finished. "This isn't just about Blood Moon. It's about creating chaos across all packs."

We stood side by side, watching defenders move into position below. The silver crescent on my neck seemed to pulse with warmth, responding to Kane's proximity.

"Whatever comes next," I said with quiet determination, "we face it together."

Kane's hand found mine in the darkness. "Together."

The silver mark on my neck gleamed in the moonlight, now unmistakably clear and complete—a bond forming naturally without ceremonies, a choice rather than an obligation.

As fire and shadow danced across the territory I had sworn to protect, I felt a strange clarity through the chaos. Whatever Giana and her mysterious allies had planned, they would soon discover that I was no longer the Luna who could be manipulated, threatened, or controlled.